Harry Flashman

One of the more obscure Victorian military campaigns, the British conquest of Tubbyland was notable for a fair amount of ineptitude among the British commanders, redeemed by the usual courage shown by the “Tommy Atkins” in the ranks. For a small war, a fair amount has been written on it, and here are some of my thoughts on the more useful works that I have found in my own research into this “savage war of peace”.

Report of Operations of Tubbyland Field Force, three volumes, Captain Gilbert Bryant-Norris, editor in chief, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, (1888). The official history, these three volumes go into extensive detail and are essential reading for any serious student of this conflict. Unfortunately, the various authors are at pains to save the reputations of the commanders involved, and therefore the conclusions set forth should be taken with a boulder of salt. The volumes do have excellent maps, and the texts of letters and telegrams are of great use in piecing together the somewhat convulted operations.

A Child’s History of the Tubbyland War, Winston Churchill, Longmans Green, (1899). Leave it to Winston Churchill to write a kids’ book about the conflict! He softens the rough edges of the War for his young readers, but gives a fairly accurate retelling. The book of course emphasizes British patriotism and the grandeur of the Empire, but not without some criticism of the British commanders and a fair amount of sympathy for the Tubbies. This passage is indicative of the style of the work:

“There was plenty of work here for our brave soldiers and Tubbyland was well worth the cost in blood and money. Were the gentlemen of England all out fox hunting? No! For the sake of our manhood, our devoted colonists and our dead soldiers, we perserved and won our War against a brave, albeit soft and cuddly, adversary”. Continue reading →